Windows Enterprise Desktop
Recent Posts
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Win10 Full Flash Update
15 Nov 2017 -
Add Precision Touchpad Drivers Anywhere
22 Sep 2017 -
Win10 PowerShell Chkdsk Alternative
23 Aug 2017
Full Flash Update's FFUTOOL.exe works with DISM to apply Windows images to target drives (and PCs) faster and more reliably than either WIM or VHD.
With the right technique, you can add Precision Touchpad drivers anywhere on any device with a Synaptics or Elan touchpad.
For most command-line program's there's a PowerShell alternative. The Win10 PowerShell Chkdsk alternative is named Repair-Volume.
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MS Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) 10
16 Aug 2017 -
Add Custom Drivers to WinRE
19 Jul 2017 -
Fsutil Cleans Up Excess Old Transactions
17 Jul 2017 -
DISKPART Script Fixes Default Win10 Disk Layout
21 Jun 2017 -
Exploring Win10 Clean Install Default Disk Layout
19 Jun 2017 -
Partition UEFI/GPT HDD Using Diskpart
16 Jun 2017 -
Tip: Access HTML Files Using Edge
02 Jun 2017
The Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, aka DaRT, is an invaluable toolset for admins seeking remedies for Windows 10 boot or startup issues.
If your Windows runtime needs drivers added, you'll also want to add Custom Drivers to WinRE so your recovery environment works, too.
NTFS Fsutil cleans up excess old transactions. You can also use it to show you how much disk space transaction info and logs consume.
In the third and final element of this 3-part series, we show how a DISKPART script fixes default Win10 disk layout issues.
Let's go Exploring Win10 clean install default disk layout to understand why it poses upgrade issues, and how to do it right the first time.
For some reason Windows Installer puts the WinRE partition at the head of its disk layout. We partition UEFI/GPT HDD using diskpart to put it at the end, where it belongs.
Even though the File - Open menu entry is MIA, turns out there are plenty of ways to access HTML files using Edge in Windows 10.
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Manage Win10 Drivers Using DISM
19 May 2017 -
Handy Win10 Boot Controls
17 Apr 2017 -
Taskkill Terminates Hung Processes
10 Mar 2017 -
Always Adjust Defaults After Clean Install
26 Feb 2017 -
Enable Disable Win10 Administrator Account
20 Feb 2017 -
EI.cfg and PID.txt Install Windows License Info
11 Feb 2017 -
Panoramic Desktop Themes for Win10
26 Dec 2016 -
Windows Updates: CAB vs MSU Files
07 Oct 2016 -
Win10 Storage Diagnostics (StorDiag.exe)
15 Aug 2016 -
Admin toolbox item: Uncleaner
03 Jun 2016 -
DISM Exports Drivers: Here's How
11 May 2016 -
Download Ready-to-Run Windows 10 VMs
06 Apr 2016 -
Tweaking File Explorer in Windows 10
01 Apr 2016 -
Windows 10 Image Repair on Boot Fail
25 Mar 2016 -
Windows PE Tools for Windows 10
18 Mar 2016 -
GPT Disk Layout Matters for NVMe
11 Mar 2016 -
Emergency Restart Windows 10
09 Mar 2016 -
Another Worthwhile DISM Source "Trick"
04 Nov 2015 -
Simple Trick Fixes DISM /source syntax issues
19 Oct 2015 -
NetBIOS Tweak May Be Needed for Win10 NAS Access
09 Oct 2015 -
Driver Difficulties Return in Win10 Build 20140
22 Jul 2015 -
Win10 Gets Smart About Paging Files
06 Feb 2015 -
"Run as Administrator" Adds to WinDirStat File Visibility
19 Aug 2013 -
Auto-Update for KB2310138 Spreads Consternation for MSE Users
27 Jul 2011 -
"Please Wait" Can Mean "Wait Forever..."
22 Jun 2010
When I confirm that an upgrade indeed installs a whole new slate of device drivers, I decide to manage Win10 Drivers using DISM at the command line.
Rebooting Windows 10 to access UEFI/BIOS or boot media can be tricky, and make handy Win10 Boot controls vital.
When Windows processes go south, remember that Taskkill terminates hung processes at the command line. Very handy!
After 17 months of installing many Win10 Technical and Insider Previews, you'd think I'd remember to always adjust defaults after clean install, eh?
Though it's hidden, Windows 10 still includes a built-in admin account . Here's how to enable disable Win10 Administrator account.
When added to a standard Setup.exe environment for Windows, EI.cfg and PID.txt install Windows license info without requiring user input.
Those with 2 monitors need panoramic themes to take full advantage of available screen real estate. These panoramic desktop themes work for Windows 10.
Sometimes, Microsoft releases out-of-band updates outside the Windows Update service through its Update Catalog. That's when understanding CAB vs MSU files helps.
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update introduces a new administrative tool: Storage Diagnostics, aka StorDiag.exe.
Although it doesn't replace cleanup tools like cleanmgr.exe or CCleaner, admin toolbox item: Uncleaner is best at removing temp and log files for Windows.
Windows built-in DISM exports drivers to a file repository of your choosing, to make restoring those drivers after an upgrade easy and simple.
For those interested in learning more about the new OS, downloading and using Ready-to-Run Windows 10 VMs may be just the ticket.
For those who don't like the default displays in Windows 10 File Explorer, TenForums.com has tutorials on tweaking File Explorer.
When Windows won't boot, Windows 10 image repair replaces corrupt OS files to restore things to normal. It's worth a try, though it is no panacea.
Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) lets admins can build their own Windows PE tools, or work with numerous third-party options.
When it comes to optimizing boot speed for an NVMe SSD, GPT disk layout for Windows 10 is essential.
Careful use of keyboard sequences and the on-screen power button lead to a little-known Emergency Restart screen in Windows 10 (and 8 versions).
In my continuing efforts to maintain the health and well-being of my Windows 10 installations, I've continued messing about with the built-in deployment image servicing and management tool ...
I've been messing around with the MS Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool since it made its debut along with Windows 8, when it replaced the ImageX tool built into previous Windows ...
In response to a question from an old friend and colleague, I started researching what might cause a NAS connection to vanish following an upgrade to Windows 10. It turns out that certain network ...
For the last three builds of Windows 10 (10159, 10162, and 10166) the OS was remarkably well-behaved in installing drivers for my newest PC (a less-than-one-year-old Dell Venue 11 Pro 7139 with an ...
In working on a Windows 10 story for SearchEnterpriseDesktop this week, I came to an interesting realization. In Windows 10, MS has finally broken with tradition when it comes to sizing the paging ...
I've written repeatedly about a great, free SourceForge utility called WinDirStat for this blog over the years. But just this morning, I learned something about the program I didn't know -- namely ...
OK, so if you're running Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) installed then you must figure out what to do with an update that Microsoft pushed yesterday in its increasingly typical "2nd Patch ...
According to MS KB Article 983551 (6/10/2010; Rev: 2.0) some computers running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 can freeze at the "Please wait" display that precedes appearance of the desktop on ...